Jim Thorpe, Pa.

Ben Morrison, The Morning Call

Distance from Baltimore: 167 miles, about a three-hour drive Why it's worth the gas: The Poconos borough was recently ranked by Rand McNally and USA Today as the fourth most beautiful small town in America. Visitors to the former coal mining town will find exhilarating white-water rafting trips on the Lehigh River, bike riding along the D&L Trail, hiking at Glen Onoko Falls, catching train rides and touring historic sites like the old Carbon County Jail, where seven Molly Maguires were hanged in the 1800s. Don't miss: The Asa Packer Mansion Museum, the grand Victorian mansion of the railroad magnate who founded Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pa. Information: Go to jimthorpe.org

Distance from Baltimore: 167 miles, about a three-hour drive Why it's worth the gas: The Poconos borough was recently ranked by Rand McNally and USA Today as the fourth most beautiful small town in America. Visitors to the former coal mining town will find exhilarating white-water rafting trips on the Lehigh River, bike riding along the D&L Trail, hiking at Glen Onoko Falls, catching train rides and touring historic sites like the old Carbon County Jail, where seven Molly Maguires were hanged in the 1800s. Don't miss: The Asa Packer Mansion Museum, the grand Victorian mansion of the railroad magnate who founded Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pa. Information: Go to jimthorpe.org (Ben Morrison, The Morning Call)

Distance from Baltimore: 167 miles, about a three-hour drive Why it's worth the gas: The Poconos borough was recently ranked by Rand McNally and USA Today as the fourth most beautiful small town in America. Visitors to the former coal mining town will find exhilarating white-water rafting trips on the Lehigh River, bike riding along the D&L Trail, hiking at Glen Onoko Falls, catching train rides and touring historic sites like the old Carbon County Jail, where seven Molly Maguires were hanged in the 1800s. Don't miss: The Asa Packer Mansion Museum, the grand Victorian mansion of the railroad magnate who founded Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pa. Information: Go to jimthorpe.org